Baking Cookies
by HarryLurvsMarsBars
Summary: Eric and Calleigh's special tradition. Yes, it is as fluffy as it sounds...


**This is a much-needed bit of fluff that cheered me up from this depressing crap just writing it. Read and review please!**

It was an early Sunday morning to which they had both woken up reluctantly to accomplish the simple yet tedious task of baking cookies for the typical after-church Delko lunch. Eric stumbled sleepily into the kitchen of their shared home and glanced at the oven clock only to glare angrily at its neon response: 7:28 A.M. Not exactly the time he expected to be walking around in, but this was a little tradition of his and Calleigh's.

He was reminded even more of this tradition with the sight of his petite blonde girlfriend. A loose camisole floated over her delicious curves and a tiny pair of sleep shorts was the only thing that clad her lower half. Her sleepy green eyes lit up at the sight of him in his red boxer shorts and white t-shirt. They had officially grown out of the new-and-oh-so-in-love stage where every time their eyes met they felt the need to jump each other. Although that still happened on certain (or often, if either of them had to admit) circumstances, their love was stronger than ever.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms tenderly around her waist before planting a slow kiss on her forehead and a swift peck to her lips. He knew that they didn't have time to do what they normally did in the morning, so he didn't want to tease them both with what they could be doing by giving her a proper kiss, knowing it would lead to bigger and better things.

"Good morning," he said quietly, partly to take his mind off of such 'bigger and better things'.

She breathed in through her nose and dropped a kiss to his chest before pulling away from his hold. "Mornin'."

Eric smiled. "Ready to battle?" he asked, playfully grabbing a softened stick of butter and waving it around and performing karate kicks like a Jedi with his light-saber. The sleepiness had finally evaded his eyes and he was in that warm, joking mood she loved so much.

"I was born ready," she replied, laughing at his antics. "But I still don't understand why _I _do this every Sunday when it's technically for _your_ family who, by the way, eat them before I can even taste one."

If not for the kidding smile on her face, Eric would have been slightly worried about her comment. Chuckling, he put down the butter and replaced it with her waist, drawing her nearer. "I hate to break it to you, Cal, but you've been family since the first time we went to this lunch." He kissed her swiftly but hard, leaving her slightly dazed. "You do remember the first time we did this, don't you?"

"How could I forget? It's the reason I get up at seven every Sunday morning!" She hugged him and remembered fondly of that day.

_They were fairly early in their relationship when Eric called one evening and invited her to lunch with his family tomorrow on Sunday afternoon. It would be the first time Calleigh officially met Clorinda Delko as Eric's girlfriend, and she had to admit (though only to herself) that she was slightly terrified. She was so different than what he normally brought home; what if they didn't approve? She had said yes without thinking, and these threatening thoughts had barely gone through her head when he spoke again, asking if she could drop by early in the morning to help him bake two or three dozen chocolate chip cookies. Calleigh smiled, for she considered herself to be a very accomplished cookie-baker, and knew her favorite recipe by heart. She agreed immediately and decided that she would be there around seven._

_Calleigh arrived at Eric's house exactly when she said she would, and they wasted no time in getting started – or so they thought._

_As Calleigh emptied the bag of ingredients she had brought with her, Eric noticed something rather important missing from the collection. "Cal, you forgot walnuts." _

_Calleigh made a face. "No I didn't. I didn't get them on purpose; because chocolate chip cookies are best when they're left at that. No nuts."_

_Eric scoffed, only half-kidding. "There is a reason I'm the dubbed cookie-baker for this lunch, and it's because I make the best, and I mean the _best_, chocolate chip cookies…_with_ walnuts." _

_Calleigh stared at him for a minute. "Fine," she said suddenly. "Do you have a hand mixer as well as an electric one?"_

_Eric couldn't see where this was going. "Yeah, but-"_

"_We're going to have a little competition," she interrupted, that devious smile in place that she usually wore either in the bedroom or somewhere a bit more inappropriate than this. "You have a double oven. I'll make mine with the hand mixer and you do yours in the other, and we'll let your family be the judge over whose really going to be the next dubbed cookie-baker."_

"_Fine," Eric agreed, not able to stop the smile that spread over his lips despite his best efforts to keep a serious face. "We'll see."_

_Calleigh turned on her heels and let her lips change from the devious to her Eric-smile, the one only he could bring to her face._

_They took their respective places, Eric by the counter and Calleigh on the island. Things started off silent at first, but they began to banter soon enough, each saying that they could get theirs done fastest and still taste the best, and that's when the real fun began._

_Mixers were whirring as eggs were beaten into sugar and butter and soon flour was being added to the mixture. Suddenly Calleigh heard a _pouf_ and a short, muffled outburst coupled with a few swears. _

_As soon as Calleigh turned around she was doubled over laughing. Eric had turned his mixer on high and forgotten to turn it down before adding the flour. Currently said flour was all over his face and down the front of his shirt. He turned off the mixer and pouted adorably, waiting for her to finish laughing. Every time she thought her laughter was under control, the look (and flour) on his face brought on fresh sets of laughter. _

"_It's not funny Cal," he said like a five-year-old, wetting a paper towel and wiping his face clean._

"_Yes it is," she said, her snickers turning to quiet giggles. She walked toward him and planted a firm, sound kiss to his lips, pulling away before it turned too heated. Eric chuckled and wiped the flour that had transferred from him to her nose and lips. Wiping it away gently with his fingers, he sighed. "So much for my cookies. I used the last of that flour just now."_

_Calleigh smiled coyly at him. "I might have some extra that would be enough."_

_Eric raised an eyebrow. "But you have a guaranteed victory."_

"_Well, it's not really a victory if your competition doesn't have the means. I like to win my battle fair and square." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed onto her toes, tugging his bottom lip between both of hers before kissing him fully, lips meshing and breaking, tongues tangling in a sugary battle for control. A few minutes later she pulled back. "It's how I got you."_

"I won that week," Calleigh stated proudly. "And the next three, if I remember correctly."

Eric sighed with false exasperation. "That you did. But, as of last week, I hold the title, I believe. And besides," he added, "it all really depends on which my nieces and nephews are in the mood for."

"Well," Calleigh said, stepping out of his arms, "that can easily be rearranged."

"Oh really?" he countered. "We'll see."

They smiled at each other knowingly and went about the competition. Eric actually did win that afternoon. As he watched Calleigh, the love of his life, interact with his sisters, his parents, his young nieces and nephews, he realized only the future could decide what he would be awarded next.

**Thanks for reading. Just and FYI to those of you wondering: I'm in a temporary state of writers block with Living with what You Have, as well as a serious case of lack of time. I'm sorry to those of you asking, I'm not really sure when I'll update, but you can probably expect little fluffy one-shots like these to pop up every now and then. Time to review!**


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